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{{short description|Law firm assistant}} |
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The '''professional support lawyer''' (PSL) role, also known as Knowledge Lawyer role, has its origins in the [[United Kingdom]] and is a non client-facing resource to provide complex problem solving, research, training, and strategic market positioning within a given practice area in support of fee-earning lawyers. PSL's often advise fee-earning lawyers on complex matters and frontier legal developments; design and deliver training for fee-earners on legal theory, precedent, and trends; and prepare articles and client-briefs to both support business development and keep internal and external clients appraised of major new trends. |
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The '''professional support lawyer''' (PSL) position, also known as '''knowledge lawyer''' (KL), has its origins in the [[United Kingdom]] and is essentially a central resource for research within a given practice area. |
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==Background== |
==Background== |
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The idea of professional support lawyers began in the 1990s in English law offices.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.totallylegal.com/article/professional-support-lawyer-job-description|title=Professional Support Lawyer Job Description|website=TotallyLegal}}</ref> PSLs, usually former senior fee-earners, are tasked with managing the knowledge function of a legal practice area and leading the learning and development of their practice group. PSLs are non-fee earning, providing technical expertise and experience to fee-earners to help enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of fee-earning work. This can include helping fee-earners to problem-solve on complex legal matters within frontier areas; aiding fee-earning lawyers to stay up-to-date with legal developments; helping to assess risk on fee-earning matters; providing training for fee-earning lawyers at all levels; and externally facing knowledge products (client briefs, workshops, trainings etc.) to support business development. The role of PSL has evolved significantly since its origins in Magic Circle firms in the UK, and is often considered a prestigious alternative to fee-earning work for senior, actively-registered lawyers, who are deemed to be technically excellent.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.garfieldrobbins.com/advice-centre/guide-to-working-as-a-professional-support-lawyer.aspx|title=Guide to working as a Professional Support Lawyer ('PSL')|website=www.garfieldrobbins.com}}</ref> |
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The role of the PSL in law firms is similar to analyst who advises lawyers, trains others, communicates with clients and runs seminars.<ref name="Milton">{{cite book |last1=Milton |first1=N. J. |title=The knowledge manager's handbook : a step-by-step guide to embedding effective knowledge management in your organization |date=2019 |publisher=Kogan Page |location=London, United Kingdom |isbn=9780749484613 |page=171 |edition=Second |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Knowledge_Manager_s_Handbook/nyCyDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Professional+support+lawyer&pg=PA171&printsec=frontcover}}</ref> The idea of professional support lawyers began in the 1990s in english law offices. The PSLs were tasked with activities which can be compared to that of a [[paralegal]]: drafting statements and determining precedents. One aspect of employment as a PSL is that they can work from home, and they can work regular business hours. One requirement of a PSL is that they must have a wide range of skills.<ref name="Taddia">{{cite news |last1=Taddia |first1=Marialuisa |title=How to: become a professional support lawyer |url=https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/practice-management/how-to-become-a-professional-support-lawyer/5055735.article |access-date=18 April 2023 |agency=Law Gazette |publisher=The Law Society |date=13 June 2016}}</ref> |
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==Job description== |
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The role of a PSL is different from firm to firm. Common responsibilities include: |
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* 1) Legal Research: PSLs often lead complex legal research, analysing legal matters and developing legal strategy to support fee-earners on difficult issues within specific matters, and to provide guidance to fee-earners on the evolution of legislation, case-law, and legal trends. |
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* 2) Strategic Client Support: PSLs often provide advice and training to clients to keep them appraised of industry insights, legal developments, and legal trends, serving as a means to show that the firm at the cutting edge of the practice of the law.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/practice-management/how-to-become-a-professional-support-lawyer/5055735.article|title=How to: become a professional support lawyer|first=Marialuisa Taddia13|last=June 2016|website=Law Gazette}}</ref> |
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* 3) Training and Professional Development: PSLs are responsible for developing and delivering training programmes (on the substance of their practice area) to lawyers at all levels of the firm. This can include organising seminars, workshops, and webinars on foundational legal topics, industry trends, and practice-specific updates.<ref name="auto"/> |
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* 4) Legal Writing and Publication: PSLs often are responsible for preparing the contribution of the firm to legal journals and publications, sharing insights and analyses on legal trends and developments, as well responding to consultation processes (with government or supra-governmental actors) within their practice area. Internally, they often also lead the preparation of practice guides and legal templates to support fee-earners.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thelegists.co.uk/professional-support-lawyers-all-you-need-to-know|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230905141125/https://www.thelegists.co.uk/professional-support-lawyers-all-you-need-to-know|title=Professional Support Lawyers: All You Need to Know |
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|first=Zoe|last=Morrison|archivedate=2023-09-05|website=The Legists}}</ref> |
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* 5) Quality Control and Risk Management: PSLs are sometimes tasked with reviewing and validating legal documents, ensuring high quality standards and ensuring compliance. |
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==Specific roles== |
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The PSL role may also include new firm-wide role elements such as:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britishlaw.org.uk/job_profsupp.html|title=British Law Jobs - Professional Support Lawyer|author=|date=|publisher=|website=britishlaw.org.uk|access-date=27 August 2016}}</ref> |
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* Know-how, precedents and standard forms: drafting, updating, managing and disseminating documents, setting up or dealing with online document systems. |
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* Research: analysing new law and practice, researching points of law or directing fee earners to appropriate sources. |
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* Training: organising internal lectures or seminars for trainees, solicitors groups or firm-wide. Dealing with external training, building up relationships with speakers and event-support. |
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* Marketing and business development: producing newsletters for clients, arranging or assisting in marketing events, arranging client seminars. |
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* [[Information technology]]: working on IT-specific projects such as setting up Internet [[dealroom]]s, creating and updating websites, and developing a firm's information/knowledge base and/or [[Intranet]]. |
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* Dealing with fee earner enquiries: answering queries relating to maintained information, new areas of law, and complex areas of law or specialisms. |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
{{Reflist}} |
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==Further reading== |
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{{wiktionary}} |
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{{refbegin}} |
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*{{cite book|title=The Evolving Role of the Professional Support Lawyer |
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|last1=Bateman |first1=Julia |last2=Battersby |first2=Karen |last3=Hall |first3=Lucy |last4=Hamilton |first4=Amanda |last5=Clark |first5=Clare Harman |last6=Hart |first6=Catherine |last7=Hogan |first7=Ailish |last8=Lang |first8=Katherine |last9=Pigott |first9=Charles |last10=Russell |first10=Hélène |last11=Shenkman |first11=Evan J |last12=Troostwyk |first12=Lucinda | year = 2018 |
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|publisher=Globe Law And Business |location=London |
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|language = en |
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|url=https://www.globelawandbusiness.com/books/the-evolving-role-of-the-professional-support-lawyer |
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|isbn=9781783583485 |
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{{refend}} |
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==External links== |
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*[https://lawcareerplus.com/could-becoming-a-professional-support-lawyer-be-your-ideal-next-move/ Could Becoming a Professional Support Lawyer Be Your Ideal Next Move?] |
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[[Category:Region-specific legal occupations]] |
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{{legal-stub}} |
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Latest revision as of 11:49, 20 September 2024
The professional support lawyer (PSL) role, also known as Knowledge Lawyer role, has its origins in the United Kingdom and is a non client-facing resource to provide complex problem solving, research, training, and strategic market positioning within a given practice area in support of fee-earning lawyers. PSL's often advise fee-earning lawyers on complex matters and frontier legal developments; design and deliver training for fee-earners on legal theory, precedent, and trends; and prepare articles and client-briefs to both support business development and keep internal and external clients appraised of major new trends.
Background
[edit]The idea of professional support lawyers began in the 1990s in English law offices.[1] PSLs, usually former senior fee-earners, are tasked with managing the knowledge function of a legal practice area and leading the learning and development of their practice group. PSLs are non-fee earning, providing technical expertise and experience to fee-earners to help enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of fee-earning work. This can include helping fee-earners to problem-solve on complex legal matters within frontier areas; aiding fee-earning lawyers to stay up-to-date with legal developments; helping to assess risk on fee-earning matters; providing training for fee-earning lawyers at all levels; and externally facing knowledge products (client briefs, workshops, trainings etc.) to support business development. The role of PSL has evolved significantly since its origins in Magic Circle firms in the UK, and is often considered a prestigious alternative to fee-earning work for senior, actively-registered lawyers, who are deemed to be technically excellent.[2]
Job description
[edit]The role of a PSL is different from firm to firm. Common responsibilities include:
- 1) Legal Research: PSLs often lead complex legal research, analysing legal matters and developing legal strategy to support fee-earners on difficult issues within specific matters, and to provide guidance to fee-earners on the evolution of legislation, case-law, and legal trends.
- 2) Strategic Client Support: PSLs often provide advice and training to clients to keep them appraised of industry insights, legal developments, and legal trends, serving as a means to show that the firm at the cutting edge of the practice of the law.[3]
- 3) Training and Professional Development: PSLs are responsible for developing and delivering training programmes (on the substance of their practice area) to lawyers at all levels of the firm. This can include organising seminars, workshops, and webinars on foundational legal topics, industry trends, and practice-specific updates.[1]
- 4) Legal Writing and Publication: PSLs often are responsible for preparing the contribution of the firm to legal journals and publications, sharing insights and analyses on legal trends and developments, as well responding to consultation processes (with government or supra-governmental actors) within their practice area. Internally, they often also lead the preparation of practice guides and legal templates to support fee-earners.[4]
- 5) Quality Control and Risk Management: PSLs are sometimes tasked with reviewing and validating legal documents, ensuring high quality standards and ensuring compliance.
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Professional Support Lawyer Job Description". TotallyLegal.
- ^ "Guide to working as a Professional Support Lawyer ('PSL')". www.garfieldrobbins.com.
- ^ June 2016, Marialuisa Taddia13. "How to: become a professional support lawyer". Law Gazette.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Morrison, Zoe. "Professional Support Lawyers: All You Need to Know". The Legists. Archived from the original on 5 September 2023.
Further reading
[edit]
Look up professional support lawyer in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
- Bateman, Julia; Battersby, Karen; Hall, Lucy; Hamilton, Amanda; Clark, Clare Harman; Hart, Catherine; Hogan, Ailish; Lang, Katherine; Pigott, Charles; Russell, Hélène; Shenkman, Evan J; Troostwyk, Lucinda (2018). The Evolving Role of the Professional Support Lawyer. London: Globe Law And Business. ISBN 9781783583485.
External links
[edit]
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